Indicator for hotels and other places.



B. L. POWELL. INDICATOR FOR HOTELS AND OTHER PLAGES.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 4,- 1911. 1 998,391. Patented July 18,1911.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

Fig.1

7T9 ofher' keys I To 01418!" keys 7 7 10 To ofher keys M I @2764; M

"' Afforriey E. L. POWELL INDICATOR FOR HQTBLS' AND OTHER PLACES.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 4, 1911. 998,891

Patented July 18, m1.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

W/frraa 5 es IEHVWIN ll 'BQVJELK), 0'5 NEW ORLEANS, LQUISIANBL.

INYDIGATQFR- .EUHHQTELS AND OTHER IL-iiGEE'.

sees-c Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July is, tllii.

Application filed April l, 191i. Serial No. 818,826.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWIN L. POWELL, a citizen of the United States, residing at New (ii-leans, in the parish of Orleans and State of Louisiana, have invented certain new and useful improvements in Indicators for Hotels and other Places; and I do do clere the following to he sfull, clcer, and exact description ofthc invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it sppertuins to make and use the same, reference being had to the uccothpunying drawings, and to the letters "and figures of reference marked thereon, which form smart of this specificutiou.

This invention relates to improvements in indicators and it proposes, more particularly, an indicator which is especially adapted to the needs of hotels, oilices, factories,

gunges and edict-departmental establishments wherein particular information as to any, a certain division, or" all of the differ-cut rooms or departments may be needed from time to time at a cehtrcl oiiice.

The indicator which forms the subject of the present invention is to be located in the central ottice referred to and is to be in charge of it local clerk or operator Whose duty shall he to operate from time to time such parts of the indicator as may he necessury to record particular facts concerning certain rooms or departments in the order in. which such facts arise. The construction is of: such nature that the facts recorded by the operator from time to time shall he made to-uppeur concretely and in part or in Whole, whenever and uccordinp; as they may he subsequently needed by the said. clerk or operator for the purpose of reference. The word record as used in the preceding us Well as in the subsequent description is to he understood as not being used in :i strict sense, but only for the purpose 1 convenience to indicate the operution 0 setting the oppurutus to subscouoiitly furnish iutormu ion of at particular fuel: or facts distinguished from the operation of causing the apparatus to indicute any or all oi": the facts as to which it has been previously and periodically set. it will he uppuront, thcreilore, that the function oi? the indicator is to furnish infer-nuition locally to the clerk or operator having it in charge, onlyot the time when such information may he required for reference. Accordingly the u 'ipurutus may be used with great facility in establishments of the character. reterred to s1nce it possesses thcud vantages of being an instantly available record of any state of facts Within its scope;

of being cveilchle as a. reference only to the clerk or operator having itin charge; and of being silent as to the facts for which it has been set until such time as information as to those facts may be needed.

An embodiment of the invention is shown in the accompanying drawings. This em; bodiment illustrates by Way oi exumple the application of the indicator in u hoteloiiice for the purpose of giving information as to the condition of the various rooms or suites. A I In the said druwingss liigure 1 is u perspective View showing one form of the improved indicator; Fig. 2 is a diagram of the electrical connections employed; Fig. 31s perspective View showing an alternative form of the improved indicator; and Fig. 4.

- is an enlarged fregmentury and sectional perspective View showing details of the coustruction of Fig. 3.

Similar choreoters of reference designate, corresponding parts throughout the several views.

The apparatus includes on board and various appurtenant elements to be specifically described. The operutofis board is designated generally by thefmb moral 1 and may advantageously form 'the front plate or Wall of a. cabinet .li 'lhe board 1, in the form shown. in Fig. 1, com bodies several groups of panels, the number of the groups depending on the. extent and size of the building. The several panels extend horizontally and are urrungclili one ebove another from-the top to the bottom of the board. 'lhc groups are distinguishedfrom one another by the characters ii, iii, C, etc, each group cum n-icing; three puucls distinguished. from one another lay actors 3, 4, and 5. v I

In Fig. 1 it is assumed that the hotel in which the indicator is used is tour stories in height, that the first floor is devoted to oliices cud shops and that the remaining floors'are devoted to rooms and suites. Tlhe indicator mums provision, therotore, only for the second, third, and fourth doors, the

panels of group A pertaining to tho second floor, the panels of group B pertaining to the third floor and the panels of group (l permining to the fourth floor. The pope], 3 otoperctors 8 the charwill a particular group is a sign panel, designating the particular floor to which that group pertains; the panel 4 of said roup is an indicating panel and is provi ed with a row of translucent plates 6, each plate corresponding'toa particular room of said H001 and having marked thereon a designation, description or; information of said room, or if desired the price of the room may be nark'ed on the plates; and the-panel 5 a of said group is an operating panel and is equipped with a row of recording keys 7 each key corresponding to a particular plate in the adjacent panel 4 and bearing a definite relation to said plate being directly under the same.

Having completed the description of the 'operators board it may be noted that the word panels as above used includes withinits scope eithenamaiked' oil or designated division of an integrals flate or board Br a panel in fact of a sectionalrplate or board.

The plates-6 maybe illuminated by electric lamps 8, one of which is provided for each plate and the construction provides for 'the selective control of any or all of the different .series of plates, the individual group's election being controlled byvkeys 9' and the total group selection being controlled by a single key 10. The keys 9 and 10 are similar to the keys 7, the keys 9 being; advanta eously arranged at one side otthe operator-sboard adjacent the panel groups with which they res 'ie ctively correspond and the key 10 being advantageously arranged under the operators boa-rd. The key 10 is a master key and when operated the entire panel will be illuminated regardless of whether keys 9 are depressed or not, i

The wiring'of the indicator is shown in Fig. '2. The current for the lainps i is 'furnished from a battery 11 or other suitable source,"t-he lamps being connected in multiple with a wire 12 which leads directly from the battery. A wire 13 leads from the opposite pole of the battery and has two branches,

14 and 15, the branch 'l l terminating in a stationary 'contact' l4, and the branch 15 terminating in a movable contact lfi 'whichis controlled by the master key 10 aforesaid.

lune lamps 8 of each groupin addition to their connection to thewire 12 are connected-"mdividually to I'QSHQGtlVe stationary con- 'tacts 16 which are adapted to be engaged disposed stationary contact 19 \vhicli..i-s provided at one end of a wire 121 The latter terminates at its other ciid. in, a htationary -f"recording contact 19 which is opposite to the contact 15. It will be apparent from the 'forcgd ing that all the lamps oi. the ind' :ator are connected 'to the wire "12, that a separate wire l8iis provided for each group of con tacts 17, that any one of the wires 18 is adapted to be controlled by the single wire 14, and that. all of the wires 18 are adapted to be controlled, at a single operation, by the wire 15.

For recording it is assumed that the group keys 9 are withdrawn as also the key 1th The operator when he assigns a guest to a certain T0011) gin receives notice of such assignment inserts a. recording key '7 into the socket corresponding to the said room so as to engage a, contact 17 with a corresponding contact 16. It now a guest on. arriving requests a room on, for example, the second floor, the operator inserts the proper group key 9. thereupon indica tion is given of the condition of the liner, the plates 6 which are illuminated indicating that the rooms to which they correspond are occupied and the plates 6 which are not illu inatedsimilarlv indicating the unoccu- .pie rooms. By ma (ing the plates of differ ent colors or adopting other arbitrary and distinguishing symbols. further information may be furnished. For instance a plate colored green may indicate a room with bath; a blue plate mayi'ndicaite rooms en suite; and turtlier'siinilar indications may be made in like manner.

in case it is more convenient instead of having merely a group indication. iheop-- erator may have a total indication in which case, he inserts the key 10. This will cause an operation of the entire indicator.

The recording act as herein re rrcil to not only contemplates the insertion of a key 7 as when a guest. is assigned to a room but also the withdrawal of a key 7 as when a guest leaves a rooin.- This latter equally in the sense that this word i herein. used, as will he obvious,

The construction. shown in Figs..3 and diii'crs inno way as to essentials tlioni the construction shown in Figs. '1. and 2, the .ditt'erences involving merely the. form and arrangement of parts. Here, instead of the panel arrangement referred to the operating board is laid oil as a plan of the sevci'al floors,,the plates upon which the plan is drawn being translucent. In the. rear of the operating board, separate pockets 20, corresponding in outline and :irrangcnicnt to the rooms indicated on the plan are proiidcd, each-pocket 30 inc'tosine r. lamp 8.

The recording keys 7 are arranged at one sideof the cabinetin vertical rows, and the keys 9 are located under the res 'icctii'c rows of keys 7 at some distance from the latter so asto be readily distinguished. For conocccoi sp t/W 11g lacy E is located adjacent tho cor- .mooding' floor indicotcd on the plain. lloving fully described my .i'nvcntion, l clnimz-- l An iiulicaloi: comprising an; operators board provided wiil c tcziiisluccni plates, moons foc illuminating the plates,- a. local rccording lac corresponding to each plot/o, moons associated Willi each recording key oiid operable thereby to provide for the illuo' inotion or noi'iilluininctioii of corro s'poi'idlng plate, :1 loo-cl indicating lioy'aml moans associated. with lhc indicating key and operable thereby to cause the simultaneooc illumination of those plates Whooo illuminoiion has been provided for by the, pro vioos' operations of tlioii' respective recording keys.

2. An indicator comprising; an operators provided with tmiisliiccm plates or- V d in groups, meano for illuminating tilclcs, a local recording key correspond ing to plate, n'ioono associated with each according, and opci'oblo'tliorcby "to provide for tho illumination or non-illuminoliion of a COlTCSpOD illDg plzilzc, c local in dicalingg key for each of said groups, moons ilSSfNflfilQlWVllu cccli indicating lccy and opci-ablc lil crob yi lo comic tlic simultaneousilliimiiiolioio. of: those ploics of ills group whose illumination has been provided for bv the previous operations of choir rcspco i IVd recording keys, :1 local indicating kcy cominr-rc. to all of the groups, and means zicooc'loicd Wil'b it" last named indicating 4. and, opc "ilc lici'cby lo cause. the simull, iicouc illuoinoiioo oloil the plates oi? tlio indicator whose illim'iinol ioo has bccn pro- -ided cy by tho orcvious operations of their 40 1"GSI)QCiJ1V6 recording: keys.

3, do. indicclor comprising an opci'ctors board provided Wl'lll translucent IJl8, %S, &n' 7

current, and circuits connected therewith;

lamp, a contact operable by each recording key to provide for the illumination Ola, col-- responding lain-p, a local indicating key, a contact operable by the indicating lacy to cause the illumination of dance lamps Whose illumination has been previously provided for by the operation of their rcspccti'vc rccording keys, a source of electric current, and circuits connected therewith and. in which the lamps and said conbocts zero suit ably interposed.

6%.1 An indicator comprising an o 'i'emlm o board provided will! translucent pl ranged in groups, an electric lamp for illw minctiing 'oach plate, a local. recording; lacy corresponding to each lamp, 3, contact op cmblc by each recording key to provido for the illumination of a corresponding lamp, o local indicating key corresponding to Elifil'i group of lamps, a Contact opomblc by each indicating key to cause the illumination oi? the lambs of its group Whose illumination has been provided for by igloo operation of their respective recording "keys, olocol ism dicoting key common to-ai'llpi the groups. oi lamps, a Contact operable by acidic-s 5 namcdi indicating kcy to cause the illumination-cl all of this lamps Whose illumination bos- 'bccii providcdforby the opcmlion of "d clj i spective recording keys, 9.- scm'cc of cl attic I was and in which tho lamps and said contacts; are suitably interposed. I i. In testimony whereof I a-fiix my sigiizituro, in presence 0 two witnesses.

EDWIN L. PUWELEL, Witnesses:

W. L. MELTENBERGELK, EDWARD WATEQMELER. 

